Lloyds cuts 645 jobs; closes Warrington call centre

Lloyds Banking Group is axing 645 jobs and closing a call centre in the town of Warrington, in a move branded "unjustified" by the Unite union.

Around half of the job losses will result from the Warrington centre's closure with the rest cut from Lloyds' wealth business and human resources operations.

The cuts are part of a previously announced plan to shed 15,000 jobs, saving £1.5 billion per year. Lloyds says that today's actions means that it has now reached 13,055 of the 15,000.

"Lloyds Banking Group is committed to working through these changes with employees in a careful and sensitive way," says a statement, which adds that compulsory redundancies will "always be a last resort".

Unite national officer Rob MacGregor hit out at the bank, saying: "This is the third tranche of job losses since the beginning of the year and is in danger of sending staff morale to an all time low. The closure of the Warrington centre will hit the local economy and risks damaging customer service."